Can a Remote Telemetry Partnership Help with Clinician Burnout?
One of the biggest concerns for today's hospital administrators is the impact of clinician burnout on talented nurses and physicians. Under pressure from accelerating care needs due to a rapidly aging population, hospitals and health systems are focusing on addressing burnout to improve employee retention and support patient safety.
Clinician burnout received much attention during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it's not a new problem. Unfortunately, burnout isn't receding as COVID-19 cases decline, either. A 2022 study found that 65% of physicians feel burnout, compared to 61% in 2021. And in 2022, 35% of nurses wanted to leave the bedside, up from 29% in 2021.
Understanding the consequences of healthcare staff burnout
Burnout is often a self-fulfilling prophecy. Amidst staffing shortages, clinicians are frequently assigned larger patient panels and forced to perform extra non-clinical tasks.
Symptoms of clinician burnout include:
- Emotional exhaustion
- Depersonalization
- Physical symptoms, such as headaches
- Appetite changes
- Sleep difficulties
- Missing work
- Withdrawal from others
- Mood changes
Clinician burnout is associated with a reduction in professional performance. It's been linked to increased medical errors and patient safety incidents, poorer safety and quality ratings, and reduced patient satisfaction.
How does in-house telemetry contribute to burnout?
Telemetry saves lives. Continuous heart monitoring can detect certain conditions before they become dangerous and reduce response times when patients experience a cardiac event. But traditional in-unit telemetry monitoring is also known to increase stress levels in clinical staff. Telemetry monitoring duties can lead to alarm fatigue and strain care team workloads. These factors contribute to clinician burnout and can compromise patient safety.
Many hospitals have implemented a centralized, onsite telemetry unit to provide facility-wide coverage. In this case, monitoring is done by trained techs, reducing the burden on bedside nursing staff. However, establishing and maintaining dedicated telemetry units on-premises can be cost-prohibitive while increasing the workload of clinical and administrative leadership. Managing these dedicated units requires program-specific recruitment, training, and responsive integration with the workflows of hospital staff.
SEE ALSO: How Wireless Telemetry Helps Patients and Healthcare Workers
What are the benefits of a remote telemetry partnership?
A 3rd-party virtual telemetry partner offers hospitals remote telemetry services through a skilled offsite team, effectively minimizing the downsides of traditional in-house telemetry while maximizing its advantages.
This model provides dedicated telemetry specialists to hospitals, reducing the administrative burden. It ensures 24/7 virtual cardiac monitoring, freeing bedside nurses and clinicians to prioritize patient care. Virtual telemetry services encompass real-time ECG tracking, alert review, and onsite clinician notification for abnormal readings or signs of distress.
Some programs may also offer clinical support, detailed data reports, on-demand monitoring, and coverage for both stationary and ambulatory patients. Integration is simplified, often offering plug-and-play solutions for existing telemetry devices, including mobile cardiac telemetry (MCT) units and bedside monitors.
This approach effectively alleviates stress on clinical staff, reduces alarm fatigue, enhances patient care, and boosts job satisfaction, mitigating clinician burnout. Hospital administrators benefit too, as 3rd-party partners handle personnel management and reduce administrative complexity, contributing to a more efficient healthcare environment.
SEE ALSO: 4 Ways to Make Cardiac Telemetry More Cost-Effective
What are the disadvantages of remote telemetry?
Like any clinical services partnership, remote telemetry contracts work best when both partners share the same goals. Therefore, hospital administrators should vet potential partners carefully. Ask questions about fees, hidden costs, tech support, and risk management. Contact existing customers for an inside view of how the potential partner handles things on a day-to-day basis.
The decision process for contracting with a 3rd-party telemetry partner should include a detailed cost-benefit analysis. In many cases, the price of an ongoing remote telemetry contract balances out against the costs of dedicated facility space, administrative and clinical labor, and the risks associated with clinician burnout.
SEE ALSO: Cybersecurity: Understanding Telemetry System Vulnerabilities
Don’t Forget About Safeguarding Telemetry Equipment Performance
In the quest to address clinician burnout and streamline hospital operations, the role of telemetry equipment is paramount. The reliability of these devices directly impacts patient care and clinician workloads. That's where partnering with trusted telemetry repair and replacement part providers comes into play.
In a healthcare landscape where every second counts, having access to high-quality replacement parts for telemetry devices minimizes downtime and enhances patient care. Clinicians can focus on their primary responsibilities with confidence, knowing that their telemetry equipment is in excellent working condition.
When considering a remote telemetry partnership, it's not just about the software and monitoring services; it's also about the hardware that supports it. Partnering with a reliable company like Elite Biomedical Solutions can be a proactive step in ensuring the success of your telemetry program.
By addressing the hardware aspect, you can enhance the overall effectiveness of your remote telemetry system and contribute to reducing clinician burnout, ultimately benefiting both your healthcare staff and patients.
Elite Biomedical Solutions specializes in crafting replacement parts for telemetry monitors and infusion pumps, all proudly manufactured in the USA. Contact us to discover how our affordable products keep biomedical devices functioning safely.
